In 2009, our team (FIRST Team 1557 - “12 Volt Bolt”) recognized a need to have safe footwear available for visitors to the pits in Regional Competitions. There were many people who were unable to visit the pits because they had worn things such as flip-flops or sandals. We decided to take matters into our own hands, and, with approval from the Regional Volunteer Coordinator, set up a table where guests could swap out their shoes for free.
We were met with a fair amount of success, and decided to go for gold. That year, we went to Championships, and were approved to set up a shoe booth just inside the main entrance to the pits. We had much more activity there than at the Regional. At some times, the booth was swamped with people who hadn’t worn safe footwear.
We have continued to set up our shoe booth at the Florida Regionals ever since, and are planning one this year as well. It has become an integral part of our safety program.
This year, we have developed Shoe Booth operation policies. We have laid down a defined procedure for how to handle exchanges. We are interested in finding out if there are teams in other regions who have a similar program, or would be interested in starting one.
I would most definitely love to see Buckeye join your safe footwear program. What type of shoes do you buy, and how many shoes do you usually purchase?
Usually all the snow is gone by March 4 over here in Michigan, huh go figures.
If no team that goes to any of the usual competitions we attend then I will suggest this as a possible idea to my team for next year. Would not mind having any data you want to give though. Maybe this could inspire someone to find what other major safety concern there is to solve.
Go find a sponsor, Nike, Dr. Scholls, Febreze, etc. Might even get Ziploc to give you a case of gallon bags to hold and tag the checked footwear. Gotta be careful though. Maybe the visitors will think the ones they left were inferior to the footwear they get? :yikes:
We clean them with anti-bacterial spray, and we make sure whoever checks out a pair has socks. And they don’t get as dirty as you would think, the people that usually check them out are mostly visiting vip’s and stuff.
We do get people other than VIPs and stuff. Friends and relatives of participants like to visit the pits. For those that don’t have socks, we offer disposable nylon socks/stockings that we buy at the Dollar store. One drawback is that someone (or two) have to man the booth during the matches and may miss seeing their team compete. This year, one of our mentors is getting some volunteers from her office to join us and man the booth. We have a one page procedure we’d be glad to share. Check with your Regional coordinator for permission to put up a booth. Ours wouldn’t let us hang a storage rack or put up large signs. We put the shoes on a table or floor and taped an 8.5 x 11 sign to the table.
For everyone who is interested, here is the Shoe Booth manual.
Shoe Booth Plan
Components of shoe booth
Table(s)
Tablecloth(s)
Shoes
Shoe rack
Disposable Socks
Volunteers
Signs
Cans of Shoe Sanitizer (at least one per day)
Hand sanitizer
Operation of shoe booth
Check-out Policy
Guests must wear closed-toe shoes into pit area.
Shoe booth operator must watch crowd at all times for those without closed-toe shoes.
Anyone without closed-toe shoes must exchange their footwear for closed-toe shoes, or they cannot enter the pit.
Make guest aware that it is for their own safety.
Make guest aware that the service is free.
Ask guest what their shoe size is.
If shoe size is unavailable, offer them a choice between the next-higher and next-lower size.
Hand them a pair of disposable socks before handing them the shoes.
Ask them for their shoes as you hold out their exchange pair of closed-toe shoes. If they refuse to hand over their shoes, have them sign the shoes out.
Encourage guest to enjoy themselves.
Return Policy
When guest comes to return shoes, be sure to ask if they had a good time.
Have them throw their disposable socks in a nearby garbage can.
Ask which shoes are theirs. Make sure that they don’t give a vague description, such as “Mine are the brown flip-flops”.
Hand the guest’s shoes back to them when they lay theirs on the table, and be sure to thank them.
Wait until the guest walks away to remove the shoes from the table.
When the guest leaves, remind them to “Stay safe!”
Once the guest is gone, pick up the shoes, and spray them with shoe sanitizer, being sure to get the top of the inside as well.
Adjust lacing as needed.
Set shoes in their storage location.
Visitors’ shoes should be stored under the table, not visible to anyone in front of the table, to avoid theft.
Our Safety Captain will inform you what kinds of footwear represent hazards.
When I ran our shoe booth last year, I also was sure to keep track of what was getting checked out, so I would know what we needed more of. Also, as was stated earlier, shoes that are worn-out-looking would be preferable, as there are people who would walk away with nice shoes. Luckily, I don’t recall this ever happening to us.
It takes a diligent person to watch the shoe booth, because people will often come in waves or groups as matches end, making it hard to see everyone’s feet.
If any of you are considering setting a shoe booth up at your regional, I suggest you give your regional planning committee a call and discuss it with them. They get enough things sprung on them during the regional. This is something you should work out with them in advance :]
